Bags provided with closing and carrying device

ABSTRACT

A bag of polyethylene or like material is provided with a valve and a pocket at its top, the valve and pocket being disposed in side-by-side relation and the valve projects beyond the pocket. The pocket receives a rigidifying insert provided with an opening so that the bag may be held, and the insert includes tabs for maintaining the valve closed when the projecting free end portion of the valve is folded over to overlie the pocket region.

0 United States Patent 1151 3,642,189 Widenback 1 Feb. 15, 1972 [54]BAGS PROVIDED WITH CLOSING AND 3,057,531 10/1962 Preen ..229/7 RCARRYING DEVICE 3,232,514 2/1966 Swede..... ...229/17 R 3,279,67810/1966 Lindh ..229/17 R Inventor: Ralph Hugo wldenback, Stenungsund.3,339,820 9/1967 Krzyzanowski ..229 17 R Sweden [73] Ass1gnee: KemaNordAB, Stockholm, Sweden Primary Emminer Don 31 d F Norton [22] Filed: Aug.28, 1970 Att0rney Snyder and Butrum [21] Appl. No.: 67,690

[57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Monty Data A bag of polyethyleneor like material is provided with a valve Aug. 29, 1969 Sweden..12017/69 and a pocket at its p the valve and pocket being disposed inside-by-side relation and the valve projects beyond the pocket, Theocket receives ari idif in insert rovided with ano en- 5 .s. 1. ..2 7 Pg Y 8 P P E E g ing so that the bag may be held, and the insert includestabs for 58] Fi d 229/7 R l 7 R 54 maintaining the valve closed when theprojecting free end pore o m tion of the valve is folded over to overliethe pocket region. 56] References Cited 5 Claims, 5 Drawing FiguresUNITED STATES PATENTS 2,951,628 9/1960 Grussen ..229/17 R X PATENTEDFEB151912 3.642.189

' Fig.5

I N VEN TOR. LPH H060 WIDENB-QCK BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Thepresent invention relates to bags such as may contain flowablematerials, and is directed in particular to certain improvements in thestructural features of such a bag whereby it may easily be held andwherein it has a valve which by the simple step of folding same over isdisposed in closed condition.

More particularly, the present invention relates to a bag of thecharacter described wherein the valve is located at one top corner ofthe bag and adjacent to which there is provided a pocket region whichreceives a rigidifying insert, the pocket region and insert beingprovided with registering openings to provide a hand hold for grippingand carrying the bag and the insert having tabs exposed through one sideof the pocket region for retaining the valve in closed condition. Thevalve has a projecting free end portion so that the valve may be foldedover onto itself so that its free end portion overlies the pocketregion, and more particularly that area whereat the insert tabs arelocated. The free end portion of the valve has openings which receivethe tabs.

The present invention further contemplates a bag of the aforesaidwherein the opposite edges of the bag are infolded so that the valvenormally is constituted by four layers of the material superposed uponone another, the openings for the tabs extending through all such layersand wherein the tab openings are located side-by-side whereas the tabsare vertically arranged.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES FIG. I is a perspective viewofa bag according to the invention showing same in open condition;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the top of the bag in closed andlocked condition;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged vertical section taken along the plane of sectionline 3-3 in FIG. 2 showing the locking arrangement for the valve;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the rigidifying insert; and

FIG. 5 is a view showing the top portion of the bag and illustratingdiagrammatically certain features according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to FIG. 1, a bagaccording to the present in vention is indicated therein generally bythe reference character 10 which will be seen to include a top portionconsisting of a valve 12 and a pocket region 14, the bottom of the bagbeing closed as indicated at 16. The pocket region 14 provides, as ishereinafter described, a hand opening 18 by means of which the bag maybe held and manipulated and the pocket region also has associated withit locking means disposed through its opening 20, as hereinafterdescribed, whereby the valve may be retained in closed condition. Thevalve 12 includes a free end portion 22 which projects longitudinallybeyond the pocket region 14 and which is also disposed along one side ofthe bag, substantially as is shown, so that such valve may be opened asshown in FIG. 1 to allow filling or pouring of the contents.

When it is desired to close the bag, the component parts are disposed asshown in FIG. 2, wherein the free end portion 22 of the valve has beenflattened and the valve folded over upon itself along the line of fold24 to position the free end portion 22 in overlying relationship to thepocket region 14. The rigidifying insert, hereinafter described andwhich is located within the pocket defined by the pocket region 14, isprovided with tabs 26 and 28 which project through openings in the freeend portion 22 of the valve serving to retain or lock the valve in theclosed position as shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now 'more particularly to FIG. 5, it will be appreciated thatthe bag'is of tubular form and is this respect preferably is made ofplastic film material such as films of polyethylene and polyvinylchloride, although it is to be appreciated that the bag may also beconstructed of other materials such as plastic coated paper or fabric.In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a tube of syntheticresinous material is provided in condition with its opposite sidesinfolded in bellows fashion, the infold being indicated by the dashedlines 30 and 32 in FIG. 5 such that the flattened tube presentslongitudinally extending side edges 34 and 36. The bottom of the bag isformed by thermowelding transversely across its bottom edge as indicatedat 16 in FIG. 1, and the top portion of the bag is thermowelded alongtwo lines to form the valve and the pocket region as aforesaid.

As previously indicated, the free end portion 22 of the valve projectsbeyond the pocket region 14 and the first thermoweld line extendslongitudinally along that free edge of the free end portion 22 which isimmediately adjacent the pocket region in inwardly offset relationshipto the infold 30 as indicated by the welding band or line 38 so as tojoin the superposed opposite sides of the bag along this line. The linethen extends continu ously in the portion 40 in the longitudinaldirection and then is directed transversely in the second portion 42 allthe way over to the opposite side edge 36. It will be appreciated thatwith the infolded type of bag described, the line of thermowelding 42from the infold 32 to the side edge 36 will join four layers of thematerial together.

A further thermowelding line 44 is provided, extending from the firstportion of the continuous line 38, 40, 42 to the opposite side edge 36whereafter the corner 46 may be cut away along the edge 48 as shown. Itwill be appreciated that the thermowelding and cutting operations may beperformed in any order desired.

Still'referring to FIG. 5, the pocket region 14 of the bag body isprovided with the hand opening 18 and with the vertically orlongitudinally elongated opening 50 the purpose of which is to exposethe previously mentioned tabs 26 and 28. The free end portion 22 of thevalve is provided with side-byside openings 52 and 54, which openingsare adapted to receive the tabs 26 and 28, as shown in FIG. 2, when thevalve has been folded over upon itself along the fold line 24 therebyregistering the openings 54 and 52 respectively with the top and bottomportions of the opening 50.

It will be appreciated that with infolded opposite sides as described,the openings 52 and 54 will penetrate through four layers of the bagmaterial which consists of the front and back layers 56 and 58illustrated in FIG. 1 and the intervening layers 60 and 62, all of whichare superposed when the valve has its infold 30 disposed as shown inFIG. 2. It will also be appreciated that the four layers of materialextending between the infold 32 and the angled edge 48 present an openend for the pocket 64 defined between the opposite sidewalls 66 and 68,see particularly FIG. 3, so as to receive the rigidifying insert 70indicated in FIG. 4.

The insert 70 may be formed of cardboard or other material havingsufficient rigidity for the purpose intended and, as shown, the insertis provided with the opening 72 which is adapted to register with theopenings 18 in the bag proper when the insert is disposed within thepocket described above. The insert is provided with opposed and spacedgenerally U- shaped slits 74 and 76 which define the previouslymentioned tabs 26 and 28 and which are located to register with theelongated opening 50 described in conjunction with FIG. 5. With theinsert located in place, it is a simple matter to deform the tabs 26 and28 outwardly as shown in FIG. 3 so that they may project through theopenings 54 and 52 in the free end portion of the valve so asresiliently to spring thereagainst and retain the valve in closed andlocked position.

What is claimed is:

l. A bag comprising a tubular body having a closed bottom and a topportion, said body presenting opposite sidewalls defining longitudinalside edges extending between the bottom and top extremities of the bag;

said top portion including a valve and a pocket region, said valve andsaid pocket region lying in side-by-side relation with said valve lyingalong one side edge and the pocket region extending from said valve tothe opposite side edge, said valve having a free end portion projectinglongitudinally beyond said pocket region at the top of the bag, wherebysaid valve may be folded upon itself to position said free end portionin overlying relation to said 5 pocket region, said side walls beingsuperposed in said pocket region and along a free edge of said free endportion of said valve immediately adjacent said pocket re gion, saidside walls being joined together along a continuous line having a firstportion extending longitudinally along said free edge and into the bodyand a second portion extending transversely to said opposite side edge,whereby to close the top of said body except for said valve, saidsidewalls also being joined along a line parallel to and spaced abovesaid second portion of said continuous line to form a pocket betweensaid sidewalls which is open toward said opposite side edge of the body;

a rigidifying insert received in said pocket, said insert and saidsidewalls in said pocket region having registering hand openings; and

means for retaining said free end portion of said valve in overlyingrelation to said pocket region.

2 The bag according to claim 1 wherein said bag is made of syntheticresinous material and said sidewalls are joined along said lines bythermowelding.

3. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a tab onsaid insert.

4. The bag according to claim 3 wherein said body is infolded along itslongitudinal side edges whereby said valve when closed is formed by foursuperposed layers of said material, said free end portion of said valvehaving an opening through all four layers receiving said tab.

5. The bag according to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a pair oftabs on said insert, said tabs being longitudinally spaced and saidpocket region having an opening exposing said tabs, said free endportion of said valve having a pair of transversely spaced openings forreceiving respective ones of said tabs.

1. A bag comprising a tubular body having a closed bottom and a topportion, said body presenting opposite sidewalls defining longitudinalside edges extending between the bottom and top extremities of the bag;said top portion including a valve and a pocket region, said valve andsaid pocket region lying in side-by-side relation with said valve lyingalong one side edge and the pocket region extending from said valve tothe opposite side edge, said valve having a free end portion projectinglongitudinally beyond said pocket region at the top of the bag, wherebysaid valve may be folded upon itself to position said free end portionin overlying relation to said pocket region, said side walls beingsuperposed in said pocket region and along a free edge of said free endportion of said valve immediately adjacent said pocket region, said sidewalls being joined together along a continuous line having a firstportion extending longitudinally along said free edge and into the bodyand a second portion extending transversely to said opposite side edge,whereby to close the top of said body except for said valve, saidsidewalls also being joined along a line parallel to and spaced abovesaid second portion of said continuous line to form a pocket betweensaid sidewalls which is open toward said opposite side edge of the body;a rigidifying insert received in said pocket, said insert and saidsidewalls in said pocket region having registering hand openings; andmeans for retaining said free end portion of said valve in overlyingrelation to said pocket region.
 2. The bag according to claim 1 whereinsaid bag is made of synthetic resinous material and said sidewalls arejoined along said lines by thermowelding.
 3. The bag according to claim1 wherein said means comprises a tab on said insert.
 4. The bagaccording to claim 3 wherein said body is infolded along itslongitudinal side edges whereby said valve when closed is formed by foursuperposed layers of said material, said free end portion of said valvehaving an opening through all four layers receiving said tab.
 5. The bagaccording to claim 1 wherein said means comprises a pair of tabs on saidinsert, said tabs being longitudinally spaced and said pocket regionhaving an opening exposing said tabs, said free end portion of saidvalve having a pair of transversely spaced openings for receivingrespective ones of said tabs.